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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Book Spotlight: Sentinel

Last July, I reviewed Sentinel
by Joshua Winning, and gave it a rare 5-star review. Recently, Joshua
achieved a major goal and received a publishing contract for Sentinel. To celebrate the re-release on May 19 of this awesome book, I'm re-posting the review here.

(I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of giving an honest review.)

"Sentinel"
is the story of a fifteen-year-old boy, Nicholas Hallow, who, when his
world falls apart, learns that he has abilities and a heritage that he
never dreamed of. Evil beings who were long held at bay by the
Sentinels have begun to gain a foothold in our world, and Nicholas
finds himself the object of the stuggle between the Sentinels and the
servants of the Dark Prophets.

This book grabbed me from the
beginning and didn't let go till the end. The sense of menace never
lets up - even when Nicholas finds refuge, the danger is still out
there, waiting. The descriptions of a world where evil is gaining power
are chilling, as are the antagonists themselves. The characters are
vividly drawn, and I found myself loving the good guys (and girls) and
loving to hate the baddies. The book is also emotionally gripping - I felt the highs, lows, fear, relief, and shock right along with the characters.

"Sentinel"
is described as "dark YA fantasy," but it hits that sweet spot of
having a teen protagonist and being appropriate for/interesting to
teens, while also being written with a deeper, more sophisticated adult
voice and outlook and featuring some adult point-of-view characters.
I'm not a big YA reader, preferring adult characters and an adult
voice, but I found myself deeply engaged in and satisfied with reading
"Sentinel." Besides being a good example of YA-adult crossover, I think
this book would appeal very much to teen boys who enjoyed the Harry
Potter books.

[Note: It's very likely that the book has been
re-edited prior to this release, so this part of the review may no
longer be valid.] It isn't perfect; there are a few bits of the story
that didn't quite hang together for me, though it never lost my
attention, and the author occasionally uses words to attribute dialogue
that don't really work as substitutes for "said." Other
than those tiny nitpicks, I thought "Sentinel" was fantastic, and
enjoyed it immensely. (Plus it gives a whole new meaning to the term
"crazy cat lady"!) I highly recommend it, and I'm definitely looking
forward to the next book in the series.

Sentinel:“What is a Sentinel? A guard. A killer. A detective.’You
see them every day, but you would have no idea who they really are or
the power they hold. They are the world’s best kept-secret – and now
the world needs them more than ever.
Mobilised against the devastating return of centuries-old dark forces,
the Sentinels face their greatest challenge and a threat to their
ancient existence. And when 15-year-old Nicholas Hallow’s parents are
killed in a suspicious train crash, the teenager is drawn into a world
where nothing is quite what it seems.
Against the backdrop of a summer snowstorm, Nicholas and hardy
pensioner Sam Wilkins embark on a treacherous journey in which their
pursuers are never far behind. A young adult dark fantasy set in Cambridge, Sentinel is the first book in the thrilling Sentinel Trilogy.
Filled with action, mystery, monsters and murder, it takes the reader
on a terrifying adventure with unconventional heroes and a touch of
magic.The Sentinel Trilogy Website | Facebook | TwitterComing May 19 Peridot Press | Amazon UK | Amazon US

About the Author:Joshua
Winning was born in Cambridge, but don’t hold that against him. He’s
attempted to escape reality for most of his life by writing. As a
child, that involved poring diligently over anything by C.S. Lewis or
Robin Jarvis, and attempting to come up with stories that were even
half as good.​​ He mostly failed. His stories were often gruesome and had titles like Skull and Skull II: The Revenge. (He even bound them using the old binding machine at his dad’s school.)​
When he was 16, Joshua started writing his first ‘proper’ novel. It
didn’t have a title then (or at least, it had a terrible one that Joshua
refuses to reveal), but it slowly morphed into Sentinel.
Almost 15 years, a film studies degree, and about five thousand cups
of coffee later, he’s finally finished it. It’s turned out to be a very
personal story, even if it does involve big explosions and nasty
demons.​ When he’s not writing about Sentinels, Joshua can usually be found watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Wire and Daria. He also works as a freelance journalist, writing about movies for Total Film, movieScope and Grolsch Film Works.​
Joshua currently lives in North London with his cat Mia.
Unfortunately, she’s not a great conversationalist, but he’s working on
it.Website | TwitterKyra's interview with Joshua Winning

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Kyra Halland: Welcome to My Worlds is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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About Me

Kyra Halland has always loved fantasy. She has also always loved a good love story. Years ago, as a new stay-at-home mom, she decided to combine those two loves - like chocolate and peanut butter! - by writing the kinds of romantic fantasy novels she wanted to read.
Complicated, honorable heroes; strong, smart, feminine heroines; magic, romance, and adventure; deep emotion mixed with a dash of offbeat humor - all of these make up Kyra Halland's worlds. She loves sharing those worlds with readers and hopes they will enjoy her stories and characters as much as she does.
Kyra Halland lives in southern Arizona. She has a very patient husband, two less-patient cats, two young adult sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, and an adorable granddaughter. Besides writing, she enjoys scrapbooking and anime, and she wants to be a crazy cat lady when she grows up.